Monday, April 12, 2010

Get Your Unicorn: Fabulous Mythical Animal Taxidermy Sale



See the Slideshow here.

From the article:
The fictional menagerie of deceased critters also boasts an extended sausage dog, furry fish, mermaid and a bizarre bat-like winged beast with webbed feet.
They formed part of a museum of taxidermy that has closed and now are to go under the hammer.
They were billed in the 19th century as having been brought to the UK by fictional adventurer Professor Copperthwaite.
Some Victorians might even have believed these impossible creatures existed because some, like the Siamese sheep, were real.
Others such as the Jackalope - a nearly extinct antlered species of rabbit "found almost exclusively on the high plains of Wyoming" - were not.
The mermaid was said to have been purchased from a man in Calcutta from a Japanese sailor and the unicorn is labelled "Monoceros unicornis."
And the "cheasant" or "phicken" was said to be a cross between a domestic fowl and ornamental pheasant.

Wow. A "real" jackalope. We all know what's on my Halloween gift list.

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